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Re: SMTP RFC: "MUST NOT" change or delete Received header

2014-03-31 06:58:27
On 3/29/2014 9:02 PM, Christian Huitema wrote:

There is a strong case that the "SMTP submission" information should
be removed from the trace fields for privacy reasons.

We need to remind ourselves that, as a society, we have already exposed "Caller ID" information for the originating contact. So this engineering mindset is set.

But we have made it optional (via a phone). So I would rephrase your suggestion that there is a strong case to allow operators the option to remove it or add it by default, however, I would suggest it SHOULD|MUST always be recorded, like in a log.

It may be none of my business to know what your IP address is, but it maybe also be none of my business to know:

 -- your MAILER?, reader/writer software?
 -- how many machines in your network?
 -- that you have anti-spam, security activity going on
    between HOP x and HOP y?

That spam scoring stuff can leave one with a major complex!

The only time any of this is needed is when there is a tech support issue. In my opinion, communications reliability has improved over the years where the overhead items are less necessary. However, when the need does arise, you want the information.

So do we turn it off? Perhaps not, the software would evolved where it would be recorded -- somewhere, but maybe not further distributed downlink.

Consider, between all communication devices, hosting systems, we only really need the common denominator headers:

   From:
   To:
   Subject:
   Date:

plus body and not much more. The popularity of texting in general illustrates that simplicity works.


--
HLS


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